Drawing a Moon

I wanted to draw a moon,
A perfect white circle
With darkness all around it.
I knew
If I could just get inside
That perfect white circle,
I’d be safe
From the darkness.
It had to be just right.

So I took a pencil,
Put it against paper,
And drew a circle.
I thought
I could make it work.
But the circle was skewed
And the white was smudged.
It wasn’t right.

But I kept up hope
And colored in
The surrounding darkness.
I saw
Too much of the darkness
Was spilling through the lines
Of the circle,
Too much to be erased.
It wasn’t right.

So with dismay
And a crushed spirit,
I took my ruined moon.
I walked
To the edge of an ocean
And threw it to the wind.
I watched it sink
Before I turned away
And trudged back home.

The pencils and paper
Were put away
In a dusty drawer.
I tried
To forget about it,
But the memories remained,
As memories tend to do.
So I thought and prayed
About what was right....

What was right
For me?

Time has passed,
Feelings have changed,
Wisdom has grown.

It’s okay.

Now the pencils and paper
Sit on my desk,
Ready to be used.
I wait
For someone to teach me
To draw that perfect moon
That can light up the darkness
And keep it at bay.
It will be just right.

Right for me.